Change-speed gear



M. VAN BAKEL.

v CHANGE SPEED GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1922.

1,414,0 3, Patented Apr. 1922. -2sHEETs- Tl- M. VAN BAKEL;

1 CHANGE SPEED GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1 922.

Patented Apr. 25, 1922.

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' 'Toa'ZZ whom it mmyconcern:

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Application filed Februar 3, 1922. Serial .No. 533,942.

Be it known that I, MIoHEL VAN Baf nL,

a subject of the King of the Belgians, residing at Overpelt, near Neerpelt, Bel ium,

have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating (to Change-Speed Gears, of

which the followingis a-specification c Thepresent invention relatestoimproved 'change-speed-gear based on the transmission of movement by means of three sets of discs of which the intermediate one has itsfdiscs in a i-set fof solid discs,]in combination with a third shaft 1' or intermediate shaft, parallel to fthetwo vother shafts" and also carrying a-set of solid discs,fandthe-position of'lwhich' can be adjusted but only Within such limits that itis-always kept at a distance from the plane passing .through'both the centre of the driving and the' centre of the driven shafts and between the two planes passing through the said centres at right angles to the first namedplane. p I

The discs onthe driving anddrivenshafts are thinned down from the centre towards the edges so as to provide on one or both of their faces as may be convenient a radially inclined M or conical circular surface, and the discsof the said two sets are arranged in pairs in such a .way that each pair iscoinposed of a driving disc and a drivendisc situated in different but parallel planes spaced apart of a suitable perpendicular distance to allow the" insertion betweentheni of one ofthe discs of the intermediate set insuch a'manner that one edge of the periphery (of which the edges are rounded for the purpose) of the said intermediate 'discis in contact witha point of A position of the intermediate discs is altered the conical face ofthe driving disc of:the corresponding pair while the other. edge is in contact with a. point of the conical face of the driven disc of the said pair.-- It will therefore be readily understood that if the by adjusting the position of their shaft, in such a manner thatthe relat ve radial distances from the points of contact of the intermediate discs with the conical faces of the axis ofthe shafts. V

, corresponding driving and driven .{illSCS-5t0 the respective centres-of thesaid driving and driven discs are.modifi ed, the-speed at which the drlven discs and-consequently the specifi i -e Leeds Patent; Patented. Apr. 25, 1922; L.

driven shaft will be rotated through: the

medium. of the intermediate discslwil lconse 3 quently. vary. f p a r c gln order'that the invention maybe-readily I v x a riof example -only, illustrated by ,the'ag;

understood an embodiment I of "same is, by

company ing drawing, wherein:

1 Fig.1 isa central sectionthrough-an-improved. change speed-gear according to. tkre,

inventionin a plane at right angles toithe Fig.2 is asecti'onal plan the line ofIFig, l. and

1 Fig. 3 is a cross sectionfonythe line QB'"1B of Fig.=L1. l is a rigid framestrongly] assembled Kin any suitablemanner, and which carrieslthe Wholeoff the apparatus; 2 and 3.are}respectively ithejdriving and the driven shafts, both rotataloly carried in suitable bearings. 7 Each oftheshafts rQ and}; isprovided with aset ofsoliddiscs 4c, 5, 46,;and 7, 8," 9,10 respeet1vely,, of metal or: any other suitable Qinaterial. Thejdiscs 4 2mm, 5 [and 8,5 and ,9, v i

and and 10 form pairs of "which thelunits are situated in different-but parallel planes spaced apart ofa suitable distance tozallow the insertion'betwe'en the two units ofeachp pair, of one of the discs of-an intermediate set ofsolid discs 11, 12,13 and 14 provided ona 3rd shaft 15 parallel to the shafts 2-and 3.- This third shaft 15 is carried by .aiframe V 16 which is normally in an approximately right angledpositioniin' relation toc thelframe landls pivoted tothe latter ate p'oint'1'7' situated-centrally betweenthe central axes of the shafts 2 and 3 which are at right passing through angles to the axis AA both the said centres. v y The. frame 16 is thus able; to movefaboiit the pivot 17, and can therefore be inclined so astobring theshaft l5to one'side or the other of the axis ,'BB.' The 'drivingfland driven discs have those ofltheirqfaces between which the intermediate-discs {are inserted provided with rad1ally;.inclinedor conical circular surfaces, while the intermediate discs 11, 12,.13:andIl 'haVe'both theirperipheral edges rounded- The lastnamed discs are carried on sleeves or bushes able to move alongthe sha-ft;15,zand in the example illustrated the discs 11 nd 12.01 1

disc 11 will be inserted between the discs 4 and 7, the disc 12 will'be inserted between the discs 8 and 5, the disc 18 will be inserted between the discs 9'and 5, and the disc 14 will. b'e'inserted between the discs 10 and 6, and in each case one of the rounded edges of the periphery of'the intermediate disc will touch the conical face of the corresponding dr ving disc whlle the other rounded edge will touch the conical face of the corresponding driven disc. F or instance, oneof the rounded edges of the periphery of the disc 11 will touch the conical face 'of-the disc 7' while the other edgev of the periphery of the said disc 11 will touchthe conical face of the disc 4. This contact is limited a point owing to the fact that the edge of the periphery'o f the intermediate discs is rounded and that the contacting faces of the driving and driven discs are conical. It will be readily understood that to alter the speed of .rotation of the driven shaft 3, it will be sufficient to provide means for changing the relative positionsofthe points of contact of the intermediate discs with the conical faces of the driving and driven discs in relation to the centresof rotation of the latter. Tothis effect the shaft 15 is suspended in suitable bearings provided at the lower ends of two arms which are at their upper ends carried by the frame 16 through the medium of a bar 21 which is provided with suitable excentrated portions 22 to cause the arms 20, and therefore the shaft 15 carried thereby, tolbe raised or lowered by rotating the bar 21. Consequently the position of the centreof the shaft 15 may be altered both along the axis B-B and about the pivot 17, while the position of the discs 11, 12, 13 and 14 is simultaneously adjustable along the shaft 15, the plane of the said discs 11, 12, 13'and 14' remaining however during their movements always parallel to the planes of the driving and driven discs. These simultaneous movements compensate each other in such a way that the contact between each of the intermediate discs and the conical faces of the corresponding driving and driven discs is always maintained, while the relative positions of the two. points at which these contacts occur may vary in relation to the centres of the driving and driven discs. The movement of the frame 16 about its pivot 17, and the rotation of the bar 21, may be obtained by any suitable or known hand operated means, and the changespecdgear according to the invention alsoconstitutes a clutch-mechanism which is very pracpowers.

tical owing to its progressive or gradual operation and owing to the fact that such operation is completely independent from the movement of the motor, V

The discs of the three sets may be of variable dimensions and their surfaces are hard but are in any convenient manner rendered suitable to obtain a good engagement at the points of contacts in order to avoid slipping or. idle rotation. The number, of power transmitting sets may be variable, and change speed-gear or clutch-mechanism constructed on principles inaccordancewith theinvention may be usedfor the highest If required for high powers, the number of discs and their sizes may beincreased and the shaft 15 of the intermediate set ofdiscs may be strengthened by means of any suitable support or bearing of known main advantages of change-speed lowing: (1) the variation .of the speed is c,

effected softly and without impact; as the'variation of thespeed is effected gradually or progressively, a very wide range of speeds can be obtained instead of the re stricted number (usually 3 or t) of different predetermined speeds obtainable with the usual construction of change-speed-gear, in which it is impossible to obtain an intermediate speed between for instance the third and the fourth of the predetermined speeds obtainable. V

It is to be understood that the invention is in no way restricted by the illustration or description of details of construction and arrangement given above, and that such details may be modified as required to meet various individual cases, while remaining within the limits of the principles of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. I

I claim:

1. In change-speed-gear, thecombination of: two parallel shafts supported in a rigid frame, one serving as a' driving shaft and the other as a driven shaft; a set of solid driving discs on the driving shaft, having radially inclined or'conical faces on one or both sides; a set of solid driven discs on. the driven shaft, of which each is situated in a different but parallel plane relation to one of the driving discs and has a radially inclined or conical face on the side facing the conical face of the said driving disc; an intermediate shaft extending parallel to the two first-named shafts and of which the position may be adjusted but is always kept at a distance from the plane tween a driving disc and a driven disc in such a manner that one of the edges'of its periphery 1s 1n contact with the conlcal face of the said driving disc while the other edge of the said periphery is in contact with the conical face of the said driven disc, whereby the speed ofthe movement of rotation imparted to be driven discs through the medium of the intermediate discs varies ac-v with the periphery of the intermediate discs,

substantially as described.

frame supporting the driving and driven shafts situated on the axis crossing cen trally and-at right angles theaxis passing through the centres of both the said shafts, and on the opposed side: of the last-named axis in relationto the intermediate shaft;

two arms supporting the ends of the said intermediate shaft; a rotatable bar carrying the said two arms and carried by the afore-- said pivoted frame, and provided with ex- 'centrated portions 'adapted'to cause an adjustment of the positionof the intermediate shaft in the longitudinal plane of the pivoted frame when the said rotatable bar is rotated; andsuitable hand-operated means for rotating the said bar and for movingthe aforesaid pivoted frame about its pivot, substantially as described.

Intestimony' whereof I signed hereunto my name, in'the ing witnesses. Y

' M. VAN BAKEL.

Witnessesfi v P. VAN EGLEN,

. BEN GRAN OREY.

presence oftwo subscrib- 

